This article is available online at http://www.jlr.org anchor has the core structure phosphatidylinositol (PI)-glucosamine (GlcN)-(Mannose) 3 -phosphoethanolamine (EtN-P), which is conserved among all species. After biosynthesis, the GPI anchor is attached posttranslationally to the newly generated C terminus of certain eukaryotic proteins destined for anchoring thereby tethering the protein to the membrane surface by the glycolipid moiety. GPI-anchored proteins can be released from the cell surface by phosphatidylinositol specifi c phospholipases and this cleavage event can induce major conformational changes on the GPIanchored protein itself ( 2 ).At least three organelles, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), Golgi, and peroxisomes, are involved in the biosynthesis and remodeling of the GPI anchor. The biosynthesis is initiated on the outer side of the ER membrane. After the fi rst two reactions, the GPI anchor precursor is fl ipped and biosynthesis continues on the luminal side of the ER where the diacyl chains of phosphatidylinositol are then replaced by alkyl-acyl chains. This step is impaired in mutants of the peroxisomal alkyl phospholipid biosynthesis pathway ( 3 ).After protein attachment, the GPI anchor undergoes complex remodeling that begins in the ER with the removal of the inositol-linked acyl chain ( 4 ) and the remodeling of the GPI glycan part (5). Glycan remodeling is crucial for sorting GPI-anchored proteins into ER exit sites and their subsequent ER to Golgi transport ( 6 ). In mammalian cells, remodeling of the GPI anchor is then continued in the Golgi where the unsaturated fatty acid of the GPI anchor is replaced by a saturated fatty acid chain ( 7 ).
Abstract Glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor biosynthesis takes place in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER).After protein attachment, the GPI anchor is transported to the Golgi where it undergoes fatty acid remodeling. The ER exit of GPI-anchored proteins is controlled by glycan remodeling and p24 complexes act as cargo receptors for GPI anchor sorting into COPII vesicles. In this study, we have characterized the lipid profi le of mammalian cell lines that have a defect in GPI anchor biosynthesis. Depending on which step of GPI anchor biosynthesis the cells were defective, we observed sphingolipid changes predominantly for very long chain monoglycosylated ceramides (HexCer). We found that the structure of the GPI anchor plays an important role in the control of HexCer levels. GPI anchordefi cient cells that generate short truncated GPI anchor intermediates showed a decrease in very long chain HexCer levels. Cells that synthesize GPI anchors but have a defect in GPI anchor remodeling in the ER have a general increase in HexCer levels. GPI-transamidase-defi cient cells that produce no GPI-anchored proteins but generate complete free GPI anchors had unchanged levels of HexCer. In contrast, sphingomyelin levels were mostly unaffected. We therefore propose a model in which the transport of very long chain ceramide from the ER to Golgi is regulated by...